A representative of Widya Karya’s International Relations Office was invited to attend as a guest at a seminar entitled “Culture and Education: Platforms for the Indonesian-Brazilian Cooperation”. This event, which was held on Wednesday, May 16, 2018, at A3 Building, State University of Malang, presented Senhor Hugo Lorenzetti Neto as a speaker, representing the Embassy of Brazil.

Sr. Neto discussed the PEC-G program, a Brazilian scholarship program for international students, which is now in the process of being opened for Indonesian undergraduate students. Until 2018 there have been no PEC-G participants from Indonesia, and this is a matter of concern for the Brazilian Embassy considering the closeness of the two nations. In addition to scholarship for undergraduate students, the Embassy also offered scholarships for graduate and post-graduate students. The academic programs offered for scholarship grants are not limited, but the Brazilian Embassy expected students to choose studies dealing with social issues experienced by both countries, such as population growth, environmental problems, natural resources management, multi-lingual learning, etc. Other requirements include the readiness to reside in Brazil for the entire term of study and to learn Portuguese before leaving to Brazil. Tuition is free, but transportation and accommodation costs will have to be borne by program participants.

Other programs still in planning were research cooperation and working opportunities in Brazil. Sr. Neto specifically mentioned that Brazil needed instructors experienced in halal food processing as Brazil was beginning to export meat to predominantly Muslim countries. Potential foreign workers were also expected to learn Portuguese, while research cooperation did not necessarily require proficiency in Portuguese although English proficiency was a must.

These programs are unfortunately still not officially realized. For the future, the Embassy of Brazil promised to provide more complete information after exploring the interest of Indonesians to study or work in Brazil.